Patterns & Meaning Podcast

In the final episode of this season of Patterns & Meaning, we spoke with Bongi Sibanda about how current funding models affect the provision of health services in communities served; addressing the persistent challenges of brain drain and health worker retention; and what it will take to foster true collaboration in global health.Bongi Sibanda is an international advanced practice leader and registered nurse in Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom. She currently leads Advanced Clinical Practice Education at an NHS Trust in London where she is responsible for the organization’s educational policy, strategy, and clinical supervision for multi-professional advanced practitioners. Bongi is also a core team member of the African Forum for Primary Health Care, representing family nurse practitioners in the region. She is a member of the international nurses recruitment at NHS England, global influencers group at Sigma Theta Tau International, and alumna of the International Council of Nurses APN Network. Find Seed Global Health and Bongi on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global HealthBongi on Twitter: @bongicr

Research is critical in global health. It generates knowledge, grounds health interventions, and guides program design and policy development. We talked to Dr. Prisca Adejumo about how we can decolonize research in global health and ensure that researchers who are doing the work in their own communities are engaged in solving health challenges as experts. Dr. Prisca Adejumo, is the Head of the Department of Nursing at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and the Coordinator of the Pilot Cancer Risk Prevention Clinic at the University College Hospital in Ibadan. She is a professor of nursing, a researcher, and a scholar in the field of oncology nursing. Dr. Adejumo integrated cancer genomics into the nurses’ continuing professional development program and undergraduate curriculum of the University of Benin as well as the open and distance learning modules of the University of Ibadan. She is a fellow of the West African College of Nursing and a Nursing and Midwifery Council certified adult health nurse specialist. Her latest research interest is in genetic counseling with emphasis on improving cancer patient outcomes and enhancing nurses’ competencies in cancer genetics.Find Seed Global Health and the University of Ibadan on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global HealthUniversity of Ibadan on Twitter: @uniibadan

COVID-19 has underscored the importance of strengthening health systems globally. We talked to Dr. Jemima Dennis-Antwi about what it takes to build resilient health systems and the power of centering community experiences and knowledge systems to achieve health for all. Dr. Jemima Dennis-Antwi is the President and Chief Executive Officer for the Centre for Health Development and Research (CEHDAR) in Ghana. She is a midwife and nurse with over 31 years of experience in the country and around the world. Her long-standing interests include sustaining health workforce education, preceptorship, sickle cell disease, health promotion, qualitative research, and strategic planning and implementation systems in maternal health and midwifery. Her current research work is on sustaining midwifery education during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. Find Seed Global Health and CEHDAR on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global HealthCEHDAR on Facebook: @CEHDAR

In global health, communities served are often underrepresented or excluded from policy development and decision making processes. We talked to Margaret Phiri about what we must do to change this; how we can ensure that policies are people-centered, responsive, and supported; and lessons she has learned that can aid in our collective efforts to decolonize global health.Margaret Phiri is currently the Nursing and Midwifery Advisor for Seed Global Health, Malawi and a member of the World Health Organization’s High-Level Consultative Group on the Health Workforce. She has extensive experience across the African continent and has dedicated her career to strengthening the quality of nursing and midwifery education, practice, regulation, leadership, and research for improved health outcomes. Margaret has a Masters in Nursing Education and Leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. She also holds a postgraduate diploma in community health from Medical University of Southern Africa.Find Seed Global Health on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global Health

Global health programs are often designed far away from the communities where they are actually implemented. We talked to Irene Atuhairwe about the changes needed in program design, monitoring, and evaluation; building resilient health systems; and tangible steps that we can take to ensure that African health experts are actively involved in solving their communities’ challenges.Irene Atuhairwe holds a bachelor’s degree in nursing and a master’s degree in public health from Makerere University. She has 15 years of experience in health programming with a focus on HIV & AIDS, maternal and child health, and human resources for health. Irene is currently the Deputy Country Director for Seed Global Health in Uganda. Find Seed Global Health and Irene Atuhairwe on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global HealthIrene Atuhairwe on Twitter: @atuhairwe_irene

For decades, global health funding and partnership models have been shaped by unequal power dynamics that disenfranchise communities served. We talked to Angela Nguku about decolonizing global health funding, investing in and measuring what matters, creating equitable partnerships, and fostering a culture of accountability. Angela Nguku is the Founder and Executive Director of White Ribbon Alliance, Kenya. She is a passionate maternal, newborn, and adolescent health champion. Angela’s career spans over 15 years of dedicated work toward ending preventable maternal and newborn deaths globally and amplifying the voices of marginalized populations in Kenya, throughout Africa, and around the world.Find Seed Global Health and Angela Nguku on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global HealthAngela Nguku on Twitter: @angienguku

Women make up 70% of the health workforce and yet, only 25% hold senior roles. Further, global health leadership does not reflect the diversity of the communities being served. We talked to Dr. Rose Clarke Nanyonga about the visible and invisible systems that have created these imbalances, the impact of lack of diversity on health outcomes, how we can challenge these norms, and the transformational leadership needed to eliminate inequities in global health. Dr. Rose Clarke Nanyonga is the award-winning Vice Chancellor of Clarke International University in Uganda (CIU). She also holds a senior faculty position at CIU, teaching health policy and planning; advanced strategic management; and various executive leadership courses. She is one of only three women vice chancellors in Uganda and the first and only one who is a nurse.Resources mentioned on this episode:Paper by Executive UNAIDS Director, Michel Sidibe; When women lead change happens https://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/when-women-lead-change-happens_en.pdf    Find Seed Global Health & Dr. Clarke Nanyonga on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global HealthDr Clarke Nanyonga on Twitter: @RoseNanyongaCla

Global health is delivered by women and led by men. We talked to Anuli Isichei about how we can change this status quo, advance gender equity, foster accountability among partners, and cultivate change agents in global health.Anuli Isichei is currently the Program Manager at the Healthcare Leadership Academy where she also serves as a faculty member, mentor, and Partnership and Fundraising Lead. She is a registered nurse, who has won several awards, including being recognized in 2020 by WHO, UNFPA, and Women in Global Health as one of 100 Global Outstanding Women Nurse and Midwife Leaders. In 2012, Anuli was selected out of more than 500 nurses across Long Island, New York to receive the prestigious Nurse of Excellence Award. She is a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society and holds a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University where she was a Dean’s Service Scholar.Resources mentioned in this episode:Healthcare Leadership Academy: https://www.hlaafrica.org/Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way for Africa by Dambisa MoyoJeffrey Sachs’ website: https://www.jeffsachs.org/    Find Seed Global Health & Healthcare Leadership Academy on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global HealthHealthcare Leadership Academy on Twitter: @HlaInfo 

Inequitable power dynamics and colonial legacies continue to shape education and training of health professionals across Africa. We talked to Tembi Mugore about the urgent need to redesign nursing and midwifery curricula and training programs to be responsive to local health needs; adapt international competency standards to countries’ context; and equip nurses and midwives to lead within the health system.Stembile “Tembi” Mugore is currently the Senior Advisor for Health Sector Performance and Sustainability at IntraHealth International. She is a UK state registered nurse, a UK state certified midwife, and a public health practitioner. Tembi has over 20 years of extensive experience and expertise in policy and strategy development; clinical service delivery strengthening; health systems strengthening; and integration of maternal and child health, family planning, and HIV services. Find Seed Global Health & Tembi Mugore on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global HealthTembi Mugore on Twitter: @t_mugore

In global health, the priority setting systems that have been created, the funding structures, and power dynamics have perpetuated inequities and left so many behind for so long. We sit down with Judy Khanyola to talk about the specific ways racism, colonialism, and neocolonialism influence global health; what we must do to dismantle the system; and how we can foster partnerships that are community-led, responsive, and truly deliver durable change. (This episode was recorded in November 2020 and references events at that time.)Judy Khanyola is currently the Chair of the Center for Nursing and Midwifery at the University of Global Health Equity. She is a recognized leader with over 25 years of experience in clinical nursing and education programs. Judy has led HIV programs and provided technical support to NGOs and the public sector, working with partners and Ministries of Health in multiple countries across East, West, and Southern Africa. Watch the webinar series mentioned in the episode here:Decolonizing Global Health: Perspectives from Nurses and Midwives  Find Seed Global Health & Judy Khanyola on social media:Seed on instagram: @seedglobalhealth Seed on Twitter: @Seed_Global Seed on Facebook: @seedglobalhealth Seed on LinkedIn: Seed Global HealthJudy on Twitter: @Judyngelek

Welcome to Patterns & Meaning, a podcast by Seed Global Health. In this episode, we introduce you to Patterns & Meaning and give you a peek into our first season. Through candid conversations with health professionals, we dive deep into pressing issues that shape global health and provide action steps that you can take to challenge the status quo. Patterns & Meaning debuts on February 2.